Profepa Orders 25 Closures Over Illegal Land Clearing in Quintana Roo

José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s federal environmental prosecutor’s office, Profepa, has imposed 25 temporary total closures on properties in Quintana Roo after inspections found illegal land clearing affecting 331,901 hectares of forest vegetation.

Officials said inspectors carried out site visits and follow-up checks across several parts of the state between October 20 and 29, documenting land clearing, road building and construction work carried out without the required environmental permits.

The largest cluster was in the San Isidro Poniente ejido, in the municipality of José María Morelos, where 25 properties showed damage to low and medium sub-evergreen tropical forest. Inspectors recorded 304,863 hectares across 22 polygons during a visit on October 21, and another 24,094 hectares on three more properties checked on October 29.

A further 2,098 hectares of affected land was identified at a property in Cancún, according to the agency’s statement.

In none of the cases did the owners prove they held authorization from the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry (Semarnat) to change land use on forested terrain.

The San Isidro Poniente ejido commission told inspectors the clearing was allegedly carried out by members of a Mennonite group active in the region. That claim, along with the status of the ejido and usufruct rights tied to the land, will be examined during the administrative proceedings.

In a separate case, inspectors visited the Polígono Sur area of Cancún, in the municipality of Benito Juárez, on October 23 and found secondary medium sub-evergreen forest vegetation completely removed from about 20,980 square meters. No federal land-use permit was produced, and Profepa ordered a total temporary closure of the works and activities there.

A third closure was issued on October 20 at a property next to the Bacalar lagoon, in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco, where the agency was following up on an environmental impact case involving the Restaurante Los Rápidos project. Officials shut down the project’s works and placed the corresponding official seals on the site.

Profepa said it drew up formal reports at each location documenting conditions, the observed facts and the measures imposed. The agency will continue building the administrative cases to determine who is responsible and to decide on sanctions and any corrective or restoration measures.

Unauthorized removal of forest vegetation can cause loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and the fragmentation of natural habitats, as well as damage to the environmental services those ecosystems provide.